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Site: You don't really want to dump Facebook: you just need SPACE. Me: Ha ha no actually I kinda do wanna dump it and have kept it as arm's length for its enti

Site: You don't really want to dump Facebook: you just need SPACE. Me: Ha ha no actually I kinda do wanna dump it and have kept it as arm's length for its entire existence, and I'm currently dumping Twitter for a Mastodon instance I run. Site: "Apps use advanced software tools that shape and control user behavior. We know because our company, Dopamine Labs, sells it to them." I suddenly really do not trust this app to do what it says it will, given that there are two links in this page to their site for their make-your-app-more-addictive consultancy. Is this app them trying to do some kind of penance for their work in their day job, or is it actually a stealthy way to try and keep people stuck in these ad-impression-generating feedback loops?

tdaltonc 9y ago
We don't see it as penance; We see it as part of the same mission. Sometimes, you wish you did something more (or more regularly). The Dopamine API helps you do that. (go to the gym, pick water over soda, ect) Sometimes you wish that you did something less. Space helps with that. They're both tools for making change easier -- for making it easier to be who you want to be.
- QAPereo 9y ago
  Or maybe you’re hoping to demonstrate how accurately you can push both classes of buttons, and them license the tech? Or hope to be acquired? Time will tell, although personally I doubt the efficacy of both apps before I doubt your intentions. The language used trips my pseudoscience alarm, although that is just a heuristic. Still, lofty promises in the absence of commensurate evidence, plus a potential profit motive... oh my.
  - tdaltonc 9y ago
    Interesting -- What is it that you doubt? That interactivity can be addictive? or that the formula for making interactivity addictive can be distilled and packaged as AI SaaS? Also, you can check out our case study deck here: http://usedopamine.com/assets/pdf/Dopamine%20Labs%20Case%20Studies.pdf http://usedopamine.com/assets/pdf/Dopamine%20Labs%20Case%20S...
    - QAPereo 9y ago
      I doubt both the veracity of your claims as regards the efficacy of your apps, and I doubt your stated goals/intentions. As I said, time will tell. I will say that you’re doing yourself no favors by selling this here. Call it cynicism, skepticism, or just experience... you need more than a too-slick pitch and a sketchy product stuffed into a “sciency” skin. Edit: DoreenMichele’s post should be your bible.
- smhost 9y ago
  Do you offer an option (presented equitably and not hidden under layers of UI) to quit using an app altogether? Otherwise you're just selling the illusion of control in order to keep real control away from the user, and you're helping to maintain a permanent parasitic relationship.
  - tdaltonc 9y ago
    Today, we don't. We're a seed stage startup, and like every startup, we don't get to implement everything we want in V1. Our goal is to make sure that the end users interests and priorities are respected. Currently, we do that by prioritizing who we work with. Eventually, we plan to build user facing tools like the ones you describe. How we screen customers. --> https://medium.com/dopaminelabs/how-we-score-leads-for-values-alignment-26ff264e6b12 https://medium.com/dopaminelabs/how-we-score-leads-for-value...
joelrunyon 9y ago
Yeah, usually this is something customers find out about after-the-fact after they're already using it. Seems like a weird way to "sell" the app to the end user.
deleted 9y ago
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tdaltonc 9y ago

We don't see it as penance; We see it as part of the same mission. Sometimes, you wish you did something more (or more regularly). The Dopamine API helps you do that. (go to the gym, pick water over soda, ect) Sometimes you wish that you did something less. Space helps with that. They're both tools for making change easier -- for making it easier to be who you want to be.

QAPereo 9y ago
Or maybe you’re hoping to demonstrate how accurately you can push both classes of buttons, and them license the tech? Or hope to be acquired? Time will tell, although personally I doubt the efficacy of both apps before I doubt your intentions. The language used trips my pseudoscience alarm, although that is just a heuristic. Still, lofty promises in the absence of commensurate evidence, plus a potential profit motive... oh my.
- tdaltonc 9y ago
  Interesting -- What is it that you doubt? That interactivity can be addictive? or that the formula for making interactivity addictive can be distilled and packaged as AI SaaS? Also, you can check out our case study deck here: http://usedopamine.com/assets/pdf/Dopamine%20Labs%20Case%20Studies.pdf http://usedopamine.com/assets/pdf/Dopamine%20Labs%20Case%20S...
  - QAPereo 9y ago
    I doubt both the veracity of your claims as regards the efficacy of your apps, and I doubt your stated goals/intentions. As I said, time will tell. I will say that you’re doing yourself no favors by selling this here. Call it cynicism, skepticism, or just experience... you need more than a too-slick pitch and a sketchy product stuffed into a “sciency” skin. Edit: DoreenMichele’s post should be your bible.
smhost 9y ago
Do you offer an option (presented equitably and not hidden under layers of UI) to quit using an app altogether? Otherwise you're just selling the illusion of control in order to keep real control away from the user, and you're helping to maintain a permanent parasitic relationship.
- tdaltonc 9y ago
  Today, we don't. We're a seed stage startup, and like every startup, we don't get to implement everything we want in V1. Our goal is to make sure that the end users interests and priorities are respected. Currently, we do that by prioritizing who we work with. Eventually, we plan to build user facing tools like the ones you describe. How we screen customers. --> https://medium.com/dopaminelabs/how-we-score-leads-for-values-alignment-26ff264e6b12 https://medium.com/dopaminelabs/how-we-score-leads-for-value...

joelrunyon 9y ago

Yeah, usually this is something customers find out about after-the-fact after they're already using it. Seems like a weird way to "sell" the app to the end user.

deleted 9y ago

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